How to bet with, and against, Letruska in the Personal Ensign Stakes

A stellar field of nine will travel 1 1/8 miles on the dirt at Saratoga in Saturday’s $600,000 Personal Ensign S. (G1). Multiple Grade 1 princess #6 Letruska (6-5) has been on quite a roll in 2021 and looms as the one to catch and beat in the especially deep field. Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, the Super Saver mare is a head shy of recording six tallies in succession overall, and she is a winner on the course at the distance, as well.

The surging Letruska is training in fine fashion in advance of Saturday with bullet drills in two straight, including a five-furlong breeze on the strip last weekend. The bay is fast, she stays the distance, and the Mexican champion has also never been better leading up to arguably her toughest assignment to date. Irad will pilot the North American superstar.

Betting with Letruska

The St. George Stable homebred is a powerful five-year-old who has been running her foes off their respective feet in her recent races. She blitzed both the Ogden Phipps S. (G1) and Fleur de Lis S. (G2) most recently, and her best race will make her super-tough to upend.

Wager

• $15 exacta 6 with 1,5 ($30)
• $1 superfecta 6 with 1,5 with 1,2,5 with all ($24)

Betting against Letruska

The Personal Ensign attracted a superb cast, with every contender in the group having achieved graded stakes success in the past. Moreover, three of the win threats prefer to do their running on or near the early tempo. The possibility of a quick and contested pace could seriously dampen the chances of the short-priced favorite inside the final furlong.

#5 Royal Flag (10-1) is a consistently good late runner who seems poised to achieve success at this level at some point in her career. Trained by Chad Brown, the Candy Ride chestnut bagged the Shuvee S. (G3) last time out and was flattered when second-placer Horologist came back to romp on the surface last Sunday. The homebred has never run a bad one, and she fell just a length short of the favorite when they faced off in 2020 at Saratoga.

#1 Dunbar Road (20-1) is another who will capitalize if she gets to rally into a fast pace, which is very likely. Also from the Brown barn, the Grade 1 queen ran arguably her best career race when dominating the 2019 Alabama S. (G1) at 1 1/4 miles at the Spa.

#2 As Time Goes By (6-1) rates as a win threat if she breaks fast and challenges for the lead early on. Trained by Bob Baffert, the well-bred four-year-old didn’t fire at Del Mar most recently, but her rapid ascension in 2021 is not overlooked. Mike Smith stays aboard the American Pharoah filly.

Wagers

• $1 trifecta 1,2,5 with 1,2,5 with all ($42)
• $3 exacta box 1,2,5 ($18)